I did get a box sample of it and I am looking forward to trying this tea. I can tell you that it smells wonderfully intoxicating from having finally opened the box evening before last. Creamy and yummy even. And yes, short infusion is what this tea is calling for me to do; since I am known to over kill.

Cool website (I love their symbol), and yet I dont see any mention of the year/season of harvest on their green teas.

I also don’t see any, “about us” type webpage (this is the closest I could come to finding one http://www.innteas.com/about-in-nature-teas.php ). Personally, I like to know who I am dealing with before I even consider buying from anyone online.

I just checked out their site and it looks like this webpage http://www.jkteashop.com/green-tea_c6.html?productsort=5
lists all of their 2012 spring green teas (I chose ‘New arrival’ under the Sorted By drop-down widget from the green tea page you provided). I count 13. It looks to me that their samples are very reasonably priced. Thanks DukeGus for the heads up!

I am extremely excited to announce a few latecomers in the spring tea harvest. They aren’t green teas exactly, but worth sharing nonetheless:

First, the He family, inspired by the positive reception to their experimental Laoshan Black just sent us a shipment of Laoshan White Tea. It is incredibly lush and creamy, and technically a white and not a green due to the light steaming to halt oxidization: http://verdanttea.com/teas/laoshan-white/

—
The last one is not a new spring tea, but a new tea worth mentioning as an aside:
Next, we finally found a Silver Needle we think is interesting enough to import, thanks to Wang Yanxin’s efforts. It is a cake of silver needle white from Yunnan, pressed for aging. After only a year in cake form, it has taken on a great spice and deep body.

Yes! The Jingshan Green has arrived, and the spring harvest will be released on Friday. It looks so different from last year’s harvest, and the flavor goes in a really intriguing direction. There is something on the richer darker side of things with this one, which pairs beautifully with that Yunnan Sun-Dried Texture. Very fun…

Sure thing! Now for your questions (all good ones)
1. Yes- I definitely want to get a batch of summer harvest Laoshan Green. We are eagerly awaiting news on how the teas are doing over there. I really enjoyed the hearty and satisfying body of the summer harvest last year, and want to keep bringing it in, if only to emphasize the point that the beauty of fresh tea is not limited to the spring alone. I will update as I know more in the coming month and a half.

2. Absolutely. I am going to be photographing the Jingshan and updating the product page tomorrow so that it can be available immediately. Next week I hope to get some good photos and descriptions for a combined sampler. Coming this Friday is a black tea sampler with every black tea we sell (including the Golden Fleece). Green will not be far behind.

3. I would love to sell teas in the 4-8 dollar an ounce range. It is a goal of mine, though a long term one for sure. The problem is really the cost of shipping and licensing. Because we are one of the only companies able to import right from small family farms as opposed to plantations, we pay huge premiums in getting the paperwork together. It is worth it for me to work with the people I know and trust and to know that I will be getting such unique teas, but I will be going to China in September to explore what plantations are out there that either have export licenses or could get them relatively easily with a little help / financing from us. I firmly believe that the value of our teas is excellent for the unique product, and many of our teas prices are competitive with the high end teas available from larger national companies. However, I also recognize that our audience is limited by the price we are able to sell for, and I want to introduce unique and moving teas to as many people as I am able to. It is a line we have to walk carefully, with much consideration, but know that it is something I am thinking about constantly. This autumn we will know more. In the mean-time I am working to cut the cost of shipping, buying larger quantities etc with the goal of bringing in some even more accesible teas for the price.

1) I’m glad to hear you will be getting in a new batch of summer harvest Laoshan Green, and I’m looking forward to hearing (and possibly tasting) how it turns out.

2) Wonderful. I would be very interested in seeing you offer a sampler with every green tea you sell.

3) I hear you regarding everything you posted here. This especially sounds great: ".. and I want to introduce unique and moving teas to as many people as I am able to. "; and this as well: " In the mean-time I am working to cut the cost of shipping, buying larger quantities etc with the goal of bringing in some even more accesible teas for the price." ADDITION: I know I would be interested in any teas that are about $5/OZ (or less).

I judge you set the bar high when it comes to many things, especially by getting some of the highest quality tea to the rest of us ‘tea enthusiasts’ in the US (and abroad) for a fair price.

Based on your newly created discussion topic it sounds like you have some innovative things happening with your Alchemy line, as well.

I look forward to what new and wonderful Teas you will make available to us in the future, and thank you for staying in touch and keeping us connected!

Three weeks ago SimpliciTEA was asking about pricing on the Laoshan teas. I have been working really hard with my shippers to bring down the shipping cost and reduce the paperwork costs of importing because I want to get some of our teas pushed down in price. When I approached my friends in China about importing, they were excited about me making their teas widely accesible. Part of accessibility is price point to be sure. It is a delicate balance- pay the farmers and my employees generously enough to afford them comfortable lifestyles, while also seeking to charge as little as necessary for each tea.

I am bringing up this old topic to say that I have been able to cut costs in shipping by finding a great ally in China on exports, and by shipping larger quantities of tea. As a result, I have received my most recent shipment of Laoshan spring teas at a lower cost, and therefore have lowered the price on the site.
The latest Laoshan Spring green is down 35%
The Laoshan Dragonwell is down 20%
The Laoshan White is down 10%
(Difference is reduction due to the latest prices I have paid the farmers. Laoshan Green is their staple and they grow the most of it, so they can offer a lower price at this time in the season)
This page has info and links to all three products: http://verdanttea.com/laoshan-village-making-the-finest-green-tea-in-the-world/

I am excited to read about your efforts, David. I just checked the website and I see the Laoshan spring green starts at about $9/oz. I guess it was originally about $13/oz? I am sure that is good news for some; still, for me the reality is even if I buy 8 oz—which brings the price down to under $8/OZ—it’s still way beyond my budget for tea. I don’t doubt for a minute that it’s worth it at that price—I have been enjoying last years harvest and it’s one of the best green teas I have ever had. Having said that, I am hoping you will be able to offer at least one fresh green tea that is closer to the $5/OZ range, even if I would have to buy 8 oz of it, or possibly even a pound (depending on how good it was).

My two cents; still, I’m glad to hear you made an ally to help with the shipping. I trust you are doing everything you can to get us the highest quality tea for the best price possible.

You will be happy to hear that the summer harvest is in! Rich and full with notes of soy milk, tulsi and peppermint in the profile. Really interesting year so far from Laoshan.http://verdanttea.com/teas/summer-harvest-laoshan-green/
Luckily, the season shaped up for summer, with the right balance of sun and rain, making for a more plentiful harvest. This means that the price on this small edition is only $6.95 an ounce, with further discounts in bulk. I think the tea is worth substantially more based on the flavor, so it is a treat to offer it at this level.

I also got some great pictures of it while up north on Lake Superior. New pictures for this, and all the black teas. Very fun photo expedition!

Thanks Invader Zim! It was so much fun to take the pictures. I really want to convey more of the feeling of the tea visually, so we went hiking with lots of tea and a camera. Hopefully all the teas will get new pictures soon.

This is great news! I know my other half nearly freaked when I told him I wanted to try a few of your teas after seeing the price. Now I care share with him that the price HAS come down heh. I’ve really been interested in trying your teas since I started lurking around here.

I may not be updating this thread as often as summer is almost here and I believe there will just be a trickling of spring green teas coming in from now on. There may be a big number that comes available sometime later this summer, as some of the spring greens that are shipped by boat from Asia will have arrived in the States then (last year, Tea Trekker and Seven Cups had a number of them that became available in August/September). My understanding is that Arbor Teas should be getting their new crop in about that time, too. I don’t know if they are, but I am hoping Verdant Tea will have a new fresh green tea or two in sometime this summer. I believe Teavivre has at least one more due to come in. Butiki Teas should also be getting a couple of more in soon. I believe Life in Teacup’s green teas are all in.

As far as Japanese green teas are concerned (not my specialty), many senchas are due to arrive Stateside soon. Gyokuros won’t be available until sometime later this summer (someone please correct me if that is not accurate).

A few shops will have one or two autumn flush green tea’s sometime this fall (I noticed that Yunnan Sourcing US mentions this on their website).

Your efforts are very much appreciated. By seeing this thread and trying teas that are brand new and in season I have learned a bit about the quality of freshness and noticed a difference with teas from last falls harvest and this springs harvest. Thank you SimpliciTEA.

“… I have learned a bit about the quality of freshness and noticed a difference with teas from last falls harvest and this springs harvest.” That is about the best thing I could even hope to hear about how my efforts here have helped others. I started this thread for a number of reasons: one being that I was hoping others would see how many tea retailers provide harvest dates on their green tea (many choose not to), two to demonstrate how bountiful the spring green teas are, and third—and most importantly—I was hoping a least someone out here would be encouraged to buy some of the fresh spring teas to experience the difference. I am so happy there are at least some of you who find this kind of information important and are seeing the difference.